


lucky it wasn't silver

by t_dactyl



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Angst, Blood and Injury, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, it ends nice so we're good
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 15:24:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13251084
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/t_dactyl/pseuds/t_dactyl
Summary: set during ep 305James doesn't take that bullet for Lena. Instead, she is shot and some pretty big secrets are revealed.





	lucky it wasn't silver

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey hey  
> it's ya boi  
> happy new year  
> i love my boo Lena and also werewolves, so i thought, porque no los dos, right? and now we have this angsty little diddy in honor of the year of the werewolves
> 
> WARNING  
> there is a bit of description of the blood and bullet removal and the werewolf shift is a little bloody as well, i don't think it's that detailed, but it is there and if you're sensitive for that i recommend treading carefully with this one

The shots are deafening, abrupt and frightening.

 

She thought the press conference was going well for once, despite the heavy and dark topic. But as Lena had started talking about her the issue of the children, just building her momentum in her apology and how they would be looking into the problem and how to fix it, there was the telltale click of a gun’s hammer being cocked. Before anyone had the opportunity to react, the shots rang out, one after the other, toward the stage and into the crowd.

 

Kara jerks into action immediately, catching a bullet in the commotion and making sure no one notices the feat. Her head is on a swivel, pinpointing the shooter just as security takes them down, putting an end to the gunfire. Since the threat is gone, her attention jerks back to the stage, seeing James, Sam, and Jess fine and off to the side, but Lena is nowhere to be seen. She nearly panics, forcing herself to keep a modicum of calm as she makes her way through the crowd as fast as should be humanly possible.

 

When Kara gets to Jess, before she can make sure that they’re alright, she hears a stifled moan of pain from her left and she jerks her attention towards it. She is just quick enough to see Lena’s retreating back as she darts into the L-Corp building, one hand plastered to her side, moving carefully but swiftly with an odd gait.

 

“Lena!” she calls after her, starting to give chase.

 

The blonde makes her way quickly into the L-Corp building, bullying her way past wayward security when she has to, only to be just a second too late to catch up with Lena, only managing to catch a glimpse of her as the elevator doors close before it whisks her up up and away.

 

She nearly curses but reigns herself in before she dashes to the stairs and makes good use of her super speed to make it to the floor of Lena’s office in seconds flat. As she vaults the last staircase and slams the door open, the elevator is just arriving and Lena is stumbling out, the red of her jacket and black of her shirt doing well to hide the blood coming from her side, but nothing can mask the scent of it to Kara’s sensitive nose.

 

“Lena,” she shouts again, finally gaining the brunette’s attention as she rushes over to her. But instead of the relief she expected to see on Lena’s face, there is horror and panic. Kara, confused by the reaction but more worried than anything, reaches out to try and help steady her. “Lena, you’re hurt. Why did you come up here?” She doesn’t wait for an answer. “It doesn't matter, you need medical attention. They can help you down there. Let me take you back.”

 

Kara goes to lay a hand on her arm, but Lena flinches away, whole body trembling. “Kara, what are you doing here?”

 

“I saw you coming up here, I needed to be sure you were okay and you’re obviously not. Now let’s get you back down there so someone can help you.”

 

Kara tries once again to touch her, to lead her back toward the elevator, but she moves out of reach.

 

“No,” she says, voice breaking, “you can’t be here, you have to leave.”

 

Lena is backing away now, toward her office. Her face is pale and her eyes are frantic and panicked as Kara follows her.

 

“Lena,” she says, trying to calm the other woman so she can get her out of here and, hopefully, to a hospital, “I know this is scary and you’re hurt, but you have to let me help you. I can get you to a doctor and they can help you.”

 

The blonde gets her hand on the arm that isn’t cradling Lena’s injured side, but Lena flinches violently away from the contact.

 

“No!” Her voice is a frightened yelp and she uses that arm to push Kara away. Kara stumbles back a step, shock evident on her face -- Lena shouldn’t have be able to move her so easily. Lena sees the look on her face and it only makes her more panicked. “Kara, I-” She glances down at her own hands fearfully before looking back up. She jerks with what must be a spasm of pain before continuing to back away. “You have to leave, Kara. Now.”

 

Lena’s whole body trembles and Kara could swear that she sees her skin literally crawl. She groans, the sound gravelly and deep, a sound deeper than Kara has ever heard her make. “Lena-”

 

She cuts off whatever Kara was going to say by turning on her heel and making her way as fast as she can to her office. Lena isn’t very quick in this state and before she can slam the door of her office closed, Kara is there, stopping the door and keeping it open until she is in the room as well.

 

“Kara,” a touch of frustration is making its way into her voice, “You can’t be here. You have to leave, please!”

 

She has holed herself in a corner of her office, almost out of sight behind her couch, back turned to Kara. Her breathing sounds heavier to Kara’s sensitive ears, her pulse way too fast to be normal or safe. But under that, Kara can hear something else, there is a quiet shifting, an odd sound, like the stretch and tear of muscle. Lena groans from her place curled on the floor and Kara tries to go to her.

 

“Just stop!” the brunette all but shouts, that odd gravelly cadence more noticeable in her voice now. She starts mumbling to herself, “The rapid cellular division and reformation of muscle and bone during the change will heal the wound, hopefully expelling the bullet in the process.” She whips her head around, making eye contact with Kara, green eyes bloodshot and nearly glazed over from the pain and panic, “You have to leave. I have to initiate lockdown of my office and you have to  _ leave _ .”

 

“I can’t leave you like this!” Kara all but shouts, “I  _ won’t _ !”

 

Kara glances around the office quickly and spots a switch on the wall near her desk. She rushes to it and flips it, initiating the lockdown of the office. The double doors lock themselves tight and a heavy metal sheet falls from above them and seals to the floor, making the doors all but impenetrable. The same happens to the large windows behind her desk, locks engaging and metal falling down to complete the sealing of the room.

 

“There,” she says, turning back toward the form huddled in the corner. “Now will you  _ please _ let me help you?”

 

“I don’t want you to see me like this,” Lena cries, completely hunched over and covering her face with the bloodied hands that no longer hold her side, “You can’t see me like this. But I can’t hold off for much longer, there’s too much blood.”

 

“Like what, Lena? What are you talking about?”

 

Lena is all but convulsing now and Kara takes a step forward, intending to gather her into her arms. But suddenly, Lena lets out a pained shout that morphs into a loud growl, while her body starts to morph into something else.

 

Kara watches, fascinated, as Lena’s back arches more into itself, her frame contorting and expanding right before her eyes. The fine fabrics of her clothes tear loudly over the sounds of joints popping, bones shifting, and muscles tearing. It must be agony, Kara thinks, watching as the elongation of Lena’s fingers and nails cause small spurts of blood to rush forth from her nail beds and blood leaks from her mouth as her jaw cracks and reforms, making room for the sharp teeth that tear through her gums. Fur grows quickly over her trembling form and soon, after a few torturous minutes, where Lena once sat there is now a massive dark creature, sitting amongst the bloodied remains of her clothes.

 

It -- no, Kara thinks,  _ she _ \-- is whimpering slightly and shifting, massive paws petting around her abdomen before one long clawed finger digs into the bullet hole, rooting around for something. She lets out a high pitched keen after a moment and her hand comes away quickly, tossing the bullet away from where she sits on her haunches. Kara watches as she rests there panting and she eyes Lena’s new form in wonder. Unthinkingly, she takes a step closer, only for Lena to tense and whimper, scrambling to put distance between them.

 

“Lena?” she asks, hand reaching toward her but not taking another step. Lena whimpers at being addressed, moving to another corner of the room and burying her head in her large paws, ashamed of this form and what Kara must think of her. She’s a monster, truly grotesque and terrifying, and now Kara knows it. She must be horrified, repulsed at what Lena truly is.

 

But Kara lowers her voice and calls out to her again, “Lena, please. Are you alright now? Are you okay?”

 

She grumbles her reply as she nods, unable to verbally respond in this form. Kara was too kind to run away screaming, no matter how disgusted she must be. But Lena just knows that were she not locked in here with this beast, Kara would be running for the hills. Kara’s probably trying to stay calm so she doesn’t turn around and savage her.

 

“Is this why you didn’t want me to help you? You didn’t want me to see you in this form?”

 

Lena whimpers again, curling further into herself and trying to make herself as small as she can in this larger form.

 

Kara sighs, “Lena, please stop that. I’m not afraid of you, if that’s what you’re thinking. You’re still my best friend and you’re still one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met. Inside and out. Even like this.  _ Especially _ like this. You’re amazing.”

 

She takes a step closer to Lena and this time, instead of cowering and moving away, Lena uncurls by increments, lifting her head to meet Kara’s eyes.

 

Lena’s eyes have the reflective quality of large hunters in the semi darkness of her closed off office, but they still have that familiar green that Kara knows and has grown exceedingly fond of.

 

“There you are,” the blonde says gently, smiling sincerely at her friend, “Now can I see your side? You were just shot and all.”

 

After a moment of deliberation, Lena slowly unfolds her large form from the corner, cautiously making her way over to where Kara stands. When she is closer, she finds that she is only a smidge taller than Kara, even in this form. Once she’s close enough, she hunkers down with a huff so she’s sitting again, but now at Kara’s feet, putting her head at around chest level for the blonde. Kara laughs at the sound she made before crouching herself.

 

“Alright,” she says, her hands hovering over Lena’s broad furry shoulders, “I’m going to touch you now, is that okay?”

 

Lena angles her head away from Kara, her pointed ears pinned to her skull in her hesitance, but she nods all the same, giving Kara permission to look over her wound.

 

Kara wants to reassure her more that this form isn’t something to be ashamed of, but forces herself to hold her tongue. She resigns herself to looking over Lena’s wound before she says anything else, wanting to make sure her friend is physically fine before she can soothe her emotionally.

 

To her surprise, when Kara runs her hands over Lena’s abdomen, feeling for her wound, she finds the fur to be quite soft, luxurious even. The dark fur parts under her cautious hands and when Lena huffs out another breath, trying to cover a small whimper of pain that Kara would have missed if it weren’t for her super hearing, Kara finds the small hole where the bullet went in. The wound is already mostly closed over, just a small pucker of raw flesh that Kara can already tell will scar. Kara thinks back to what Lena was muttering to herself before she shifted, something about cell division and muscle reformation, and so many questions about the science behind Lena’s physiology come to the forefront of her mind. Kara physically has to shake the thoughts from her head, the questions are something for another time.

 

“Does this hurt?” She asks, putting a bit of pressure on the area around the wound, wanting to be sure there is no internal bleeding,

 

At the sudden flash of pain, Lena whips her head around, lips pulled back in a startled and disgruntled snarl. Kara jerks back a bit at the sudden appearance of very large, very sharp teeth in her face, and Lena, realizing what she was doing, startles herself, whimpering apologetically and scrambling to put distance between them once again.

 

Lena’s hasty retreat jolts Kara out of her stupor.

 

“No! No, Lena, it’s okay,” she rushes to reassure her, “I shouldn’t have been prodding you like that, I’m sorry. That was my fault. But I’m not afraid of you. You won’t hurt me.”

 

There’s a disbelieving grumble and Lena shoots her a glare from the corner she has reclaimed. Kara pauses for a moment, thinking. She now knows this about Lena, this secret about who and what Lena really is (though she has many questions as to what species she really is), and Lena is still in the dark about Kara’s Supergirl secret. Maybe this could be the time to tell her, a show of faith, to not only reassure Lena that she wouldn’t hurt her, but also that Kara won’t tell anyone and that she trusts Lena and is trustworthy herself.

 

“Lena,” she calls, trying to get Lena to look at her again. “Lena, please, look at me. Please.”

 

She grumbles again, making it obvious that she doesn’t want to look at Kara, but she’s always had a hard time saying no to the blonde when she hears that pleading tone in her voice.  She directs her eyes back over to Kara, only for them to almost bulge out of her head the second they fall on her.

 

Kara has freed her hair completely and taken off her glasses. She has also taken off her jacket and shirt, revealing the top half of her suit.

 

And she’s floating. For dramatic effect.

 

“See,” she says, smiling at her flabbergasted friend, “you’re not the only one with a secret identity.”

 

Her words make Lena huff and she shoots Kara a glare from where she is now standing.

 

“Okay, maybe I shouldn’t be joking about this. But still, now you know that, 1) there’s no way that you’d hurt me, 2) I’m definitely not afraid of you like this, and 3) your secret is totally safe with me. I mean, it would be no matter what, because you’re my best friend and I would never break your trust like that, but if it wasn’t obvious before, it should be a thousand percent  _ more _ obvious now and-”

 

Lena cuts off her rambling with soft bark, not unlike how she softly calls Kara’s name all the other times she has gone off rambling.

 

Kara smiles shyly and blushes, “Yeah, sorry. It’s really easy to just keep talking when you can’t really answer me back like this.”

 

The younger of the two grunts her ascent and makes her way over to the cupboard in her office. She hooks one large clawed finger around the handle and gently opens it, revealing a small stash of clothes and protein bars. She glances back over her shoulder, catching Kara watching her and makes an awkward ‘turn around’ gesture with one massive paw.

 

It takes Kara a second to register what’s about to happen, but then she gets it. “Oh! Yeah no, of course.”

 

With Kara dutifully facing away from her, Lena concentrates, focuses on her human form, and after a moment, Kara can hear the telltale sound of her transformation. If anything, this time sounds worse. The compacting of bone, becoming smaller but denser, and the snap of joints back into more human shape and the reformation of muscle into a smaller form makes Kara cringe from her spot. She wants to glance back, to see the opposite side of the transformation that she saw before, but Lena wanted some modicum of privacy and Kara would not deny her that.

 

After about the same amount of time as the last one, this shift is over, and Kara can hear her now very humanoid friend breathing heavily from the ground. Lena whimpers and Kara almost rushes to her side, but she needs to know if that’s okay before she does. She’s worried, but she’ll respect Lena’s boundaries.

 

“Lena,” she calls over her shoulder, “are you alright?”

 

There is a shuffling and a groan from behind her before Lena speaks up, “Yes… Just give me a moment, I’m not quite decent.”

 

Kara waits anxiously, listening closely as there is more shuffling and the sound of clothes sliding against skin. Lena groans quietly as she dresses herself and makes to stand, and Kara very nearly turns and speeds across the room to help her, decency be damned. 

 

“Okay,” Lena calls, prompting Kara to turn even before she finished the word. Lena huffs out a laugh, the sound not unlike the ones she made in her other form.

 

She sat on the ground, leaning on the cupboard and reaching for the stash of protein bars. Lena looks exhausted, but fine other than that. As Kara approaches, Lena tears open one of the bars and shoves nearly the whole thing in her mouth. The blonde can’t help but giggle, seeing her usually poised and proper best friend scarfing down a cookies and cream powerbar in two bites is quite the novel sight.

 

Lena looks up and her pale skin flushes with color. She puts a hand in front of her mouth and mumbles through the half chewed food, “I’m sorry, it’s just that.” She pauses to swallow, “I’m usually famished after I change, but it’s even worse after an injury. It takes a lot to shift and heal on top of it.”

 

Kara laughs as she takes a seat next to Lena, “You’ve seen me plow through six servings of potstickers without stopping to take a breath, I don’t think I’m in any position to judge here.”

 

They laugh together for a moment, but as Lena reaches for another protein bar, she glances at Kara from the corner of her eye.

 

“So, Supergirl, huh?”

 

Kara sputters a bit, her laughter cutting off abruptly as she turns to Lena. The brunette is looking at her seriously, no judgement or anger in her eyes, just the soft understanding that Kara is used to from her best friend. “I- uh… Yeah, Supergirl. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it-- her-- me sooner, I just-”

 

Lena stops her with a gentle hand on her arm, “Kara, I understand. We’re in the same boat here. It’s not a matter of trust. It’s just safer when fewer people know. Please don’t think that I don’t trust you because I didn’t tell you about this part of me, I just… I didn’t know how to tell you that I’m this…  _ thing _ … for a good portion of my life.”

 

She looks down and away when she says this. Lena has never been comfortable with her other form, with the way that it is yet another thing that sets her apart. She has been told since she was a child and Lillian discovered what she was, that she wasn’t fully human. 

 

“Wait, Lena, no. I would never think that. And  _ you _ have to know that I trust you completely and I kept Supergirl from you for your safety. But… what do you mean thing? Do you not know what species you are or…?”

 

“Kara, I know what I am. But you’ve seen me, you’ve seen what I might have done to those children. What I really am is a monster.”

 

Lena’s face is turned away, the shame running off her in waves. Her other form has always been a point of contention for her, something to hide and never talk about. When Lillian had found out about it shorty after Lena had come to live with the Luthors, it was only Lionel and Lex that kept her from either getting rid of her or locking her up and using her for experiments. There were still tests and samples taken, but Lionel kept her from doing anything too invasive. But it still did not make for a happy childhood.

 

Kara looks appalled. “What I saw just now was my best friend, hurt and afraid, in another form that is just as impressive and lovely as the one I’m seeing now. I’m an alien, Lena, some people say that makes me a monster. So am I a monster? ”

 

“Of course not!”

 

“Then you’re not one either,” she says firmly. “Not being human doesn’t mean you’re a monster and being human doesn't mean you can’t be one. I’ve seen my fair share of monsters, human and otherwise. You’re not one of them. If anything, you’re one of the kindest, most brilliant, most caring, most wonderful people I know. You’re the farthest thing from a monster I’ve ever encountered. And I’ve been to multiple planets.”

 

After Kara’s impassioned words, Lena can do nothing but stare. Kara -- amazing, beautiful, heroic,  _ Kara  _ \-- is telling her that she’s good, that she isn’t just the beast that her mother told her she was. Kara thinks she’s good, Kara things she’s lovely, Kara thinks she’s wonderful too. 

 

Lena spends a long moment looking into bright blue eyes, filled with such earnestness and affection and she feels a warmth bloom in her chest.

 

“Do you really believe all that? Truly believe in me?”

 

And she’s heard it before. Kara has said multiple times that she believes in her, believes in her goodness and strength. But she needs to hear it again, after this reveal. To know that even now that they know these things about each other, that Kara still feels the same way about her that she did before, that Kara’s feelings have stayed true.

 

“I do, Lena,” Kara says while reaching out and taking her hand. “I’ll always believe in you. I- I mean. Lena.” She looks down for a moment before adjusting her glasses. When she looks back up, her gaze is steady and more confident than a second before. “Lena, I love you. I mean, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you this, but I need you to know. I could never be afraid of you or think anything less than the world of you, because I love you, so so much.”

 

She can’t, Lena’s mind cries. She can’t love someone like you, someone from a family like yours, someone who has possibly poisoned all those kids, someone who turns into what you do, someone who isn’t even sure they can love themself. But when she looks at Kara, when she looks into her eyes and sees the truth there, maybe she can believe her. Maybe she can have this.

 

“Oh, Lena, no. Please don’t cry, I didn’t mean to make you cry, I’m sorry,” Kara rushes to say. “I shouldn’t have said all that, that was too much. Oh gosh, that was overwhelming wasn’t it? I’m so sorry, I just wanted to make you feel better, but then I said too much and now you’re crying. You probably don’t even feel the same and now I’ve shoved my feelings on you, on top of everything else. And I’ve taken advantage of this vulnerable moment and I’m just  _ awful _ and--”

 

“Kara,” she chokes out on a half sob, half laugh. “Stop, you’re not awful. I am a little overwhelmed, but not in a bad way. I’m… I’m  _ happy _ .”

 

Kara watches carefully as Lena wipes the tears with one hand, not removing the other from the grasp that Kara had kept even through her rant. There is a watery smile on the brunette’s face and it makes Kara’s heart ache in more ways than one. It hurts to see the past pain in Lena’s smile, the hurt of years of rejections and scorn. But the happiness in the smile, the hope for something new, the affection shining through, fills Kara to the brim, warming her in a way that Earth’s yellow sun never could, in a way more similar to Rao’s guiding rays.

 

Before she can think to stop herself, Kara reaches up to stroke Lena’s cheek, helping her wipe away the last of the tears before tenderly cradling her face in her hand. She can’t help but notice how close they are, how close their faces seem to have gotten. Her eyes dart down to Lena’s lips, so close that she can see where Lena had chewed it and she aches to trace the spot with her own tongue. When her eyes travel back to meet those keen green ones that she has grown so fond of, she can tell that she was caught, but instead of embarrassment, she feels a rush of boldness.

 

“Lena,” she whispers, knowing that it will reach her and afraid that speaking too loudly will shatter the moment. “Can I…? Can I kiss you?”

 

Lena shivers, feeling the question in her very core and answering on a shaky exhale, “...yes.”

 

The press of Kara’s soft lips pulls a gasp from Lena and she sags into the pressure, letting Kara’s encompassing warmth seep into her bones and start to fill the cracks. Kara supports her and presses forward, running her tongue along the ragged part of her lip, parting willing lips and deepening the kiss. She can taste the artificial sweetness of the protein bar on her tongue, the remnants of chocolate on her teeth. After a moment, Lena pulls back, breathing heavy.

 

“I love you too,” she murmurs, lips brushing the soft skin of Kara’s blushing cheek. “I have for so long.”

 

Kara smiles and Lena could swear that her smile could power all of National City. Lena nuzzles into her neck, not to hide her own smile but just because she can,wanting to be closer and immersed in her scent. Kara cocoons her in her arms and giggles for a moment before they turn into full blown laughs, jostling Lena in her cozy position.

 

“What?” she asks into the skin of Kara’s exposed neck. “What’s so funny?”

 

She laughs for a moment more before collecting herself enough to answer. “Would you call it puppy love?”

 

And if Lena thought that was the worst pun she’d ever heard? Well, she laughs anyway, for the pure joy of being able to joke with her best friend and the woman she loves.

**Author's Note:**

> here's hoping 2018 is lit for all y'all, make it your bitch yo, i believe in all you gays  
> hope you enjoyed, and you can catch me at here in comments or whatever or at my tumblr, genderqueermusketeer  
> catch ya laters


End file.
